Chick-fil-A CEO Says He Still Opposes Gay Marriage, But Regrets Speaking Publicly About It

Hayley Peterson, provided by

Published 12:06 pm, Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Chick-fil-A President and CEO Dan Cathy says he still opposes gay marriage, but he regrets speaking publicly about his opinion.

"Every leader goes through different phases of maturity, growth and development and it helps by (recognizing) the mistakes that you make," Cathy told the Atlanta Journal Constitution in a recent interview. "And you learn from those mistakes. If not, you’re just a fool. I’m thankful that I lived through it and I learned a lot from it."

Cathy's remarks come nearly two years after he ignited a firestorm by throwing his support behind traditional marriage in an interview with the Baptist Press.

"We know that it might not be popular with everyone, but thank the Lord, we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles," Cathy said in the July 2012 interview.

His remarks set off a wave of protests against Chick-fil-A that rippled across the country.

Cathy called the episode "stressful" in his interview with the AJC.

"The bottom line is we have a responsibility here to keep the whole of the organization in mind and it has to take precedence over the personal expression and opinion on social issues," he said.

But Cathy says his opinion on same-sex marriage hasn't changed.

"I think the time of truths and principles are captured and codified in God’s word and I’m just personally committed to that," he said. "I know others feel very different from that and I respect their opinion and I hope that they would be respectful of mine."